Face of Oak Ridge volleyball changing

After more than three decades in coaching, Janet Tingle wants to relax.

“The biggest thing I’m looking forward to is not getting up with the 5 a.m. alarm,” said Tingle, who recently announced that the 2009 school year will be her last in athletics and in the classroom.

“I still love my job,” Tingle said. “But I’m almost 58 and I don’t have the energy to do it anymore.”

Tingle has spent 35 years in coaching, including 27 at Oak Ridge. She has spent the last 14 years as the women’s athletic coordinator.

Tommie Sledge, who has been an assistant under Tingle the last two seasons, will take over as head coach, while a new athletic coordinator has yet to be chosen.

Tingle also coached softball for eight years at Oak Ridge and has taught physical education, health and science among others.

“I will make a great little old lady,” she said of her retirement. “I love working in the yard and planting in my garden.

“And I want to travel as far as I can afford the gas.”

Tingle’s resume includes 644 career wins. In 27 seasons under Tingle, the Lady War Eagles won 16 district titles. The 1999 squad reached the state finals before falling to Hereford.

“I’ve had a lot of wins,” Tingle said. “But more important are the relationships I’ve built. I know in my heart that I have made a difference in the lives of the kids I have had.”

This past season the Lady War Eagles finished 21-13 before losing in the bi-district round to Klein Oak.

“Coach Tingle has had an unbelievable influence on Oak Ridge High School,” Oak Ridge athletic director Bob Barrett said. “There is not a single person that has been more of a positive to our athletic department than her.”

Barrett said Tingle’s influence will be felt long after she is gone, noting current Lady War Eagle head coaches Amanda Bussell (softball) and Molly Gibson (basketball) who both played under Tingle.

“She has put a stamp on our program that will be around for a long time,” Barrett said. “There are not enough positives to say what she has meant to our program.”

Tingle knows the program will be in good hands.

“(Sledge) has already made an impact on this program in a short time,” Tingle said. “She brings new energy and enthusiasm to the job.

“Tommie has great knowledge of conditioning and weight training and she is a great volleyball coach.”